Buffy Coat: What Does a Thicker-Than-Normal Buffy Coat Indicate?

What conditions can a patient with a thicker-than-normal buffy coat have?

a. an infection

b. leukemia

c. leucopenia

d. both a and b above

Answer:

A thicker-than-normal buffy coat can suggest the presence of an infection, leukemia, or both.

A patient with a thicker-than-normal buffy coat may have either an infection or leukemia, or both. The buffy coat is a thin, pale layer of leukocytes (white blood cells) and platelets that separates the erythrocytes (red blood cells) from the plasma in a sample of centrifuged blood. An increase in its thickness may be indicative of an infection, which stimulates the body to produce more white blood cells to defend against disease-causing agents. Alternatively, it could be a sign of leukemia, a cancer which involves an abnormal increase in the number of leukocytes.

The leukocytes in leukemic patients, despite being large in number, are often dysfunctional and do not contribute effectively to immunity. Leucopenia, on the other hand, which represents a drop below normal in the production of leukocytes, is not associated with a thick buffy coat but rather a thin one due to the diminished number of white blood cells.